To #BreakTheBias, there are a few basic things that we can do such as educating the young by giving talks about gender issues or even bringing up the topic for discussions in classrooms. Just like the saying, ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’, teaching about this from young becomes all the more essential. Other than that, everyone must call out inequality so that people can reflect on their own behaviour.

Of course, these things may not be enough sometimes as the problem’s a deep-rooted issue that’s a lot more complex. However, if everyone takes part in making a change, there’d only be progress, slow or otherwise. 

Here’s my take on how we can make a bigger impact towards issues with gender equality in Malaysia and why we need to #BreakTheBias.

Gender Biasness Among Political Leaders

Did you know that patriarchal values are still being advocated by ministers in Malaysia?

In February 2022, the Malaysian deputy minister for women, family, and community development, Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, shared a video on Instagram titled ‘Mother’s Tips’ advising men to reprimand their wives by ‘gently’ hitting them if they don’t behave. On the flipside, she advised women to be demure, patient, and submissive in view of how her husband’s temperament is like.

The video has since received backlash from the public for encouraging domestic violence but it has also gained support by some conservative ministers. And this isn’t the first time something of similar nature sparked controversy.

In 2020, she also shared posters on how women should ‘behave appropriately’ around their husbands at home during the COVID-19 lockdown in Malaysia. 

With political leaders being the face of the country, their words naturally have a huge impact and influence on the nation. Messages like these not only perpetuates biases amongst many in the community, it also puts women in danger.

Hence, we need to ensure that our political leaders advocate for and protect, not only women, but every human being. While we may, individually, take steps to practise gender biasness with one another, we must also ensure that those in power and around us are held accountable for their words and actions.

Discrimination Against Transgender Women

When talking about protecting women, we must remember to protect ALL women. In Malaysia, transgender individuals are living in fear because of the anti-trans laws and the constant discrimination they face wherever they go.  So, when we talk about gender equality, we mustn’t forget about the struggles of transgender women as well.

Nur Sajat, a Malaysian transgender woman, had to seek asylum in Australia to be legally recognised as a woman. In a conservative country like Malaysia, Nur Sajat’s former name’s still being mentioned in Malaysian news websites today.

Political leaders also continue to misgender her while saying that transgender people’s ‘real gender’ is what they’ve been assigned at birth, stated on their identity card (IC), and can’t be changed.

This says a lot about the human rights in our country and one of the reasons why gender biasness and discrimination continue to exist in Malaysia.

Despite having some support from people of the younger generation and non-governmental organisations (NGO), are we doing enough to make a change when the nation isn’t educated about these issues and the transphobic laws that are present in the country? If not, how can we start being the change?

Gender Stereotypes and Expectations

Whether it stems from their birth rights up till their role in the workplace, countless of discriminatory remarks, conversations, and questions regarding a woman’s worth is constantly questioned. From the marital status and the idea of ‘being a mother’, many women aren’t strangers to these expectations and stereotypes as such topics are very common in workplaces and family gatherings during festival seasons.

Of course, even men often receive questions about getting married or starting a family at a later age. However, women are subjected to these at a much younger age. So you can imagine the kind of biasness faced when they reached a certain age and have yet or don’t intend to settle down.

Instead, they’re often judged by their decisions or faced with comments like they’ll certainly change their mind one day.

Professor Dr. Pradeep Nair, Deputy Vice Chancelor and Chief Academic Officer of Taylor’s University, recounts how gender norms and stereotypes was perpetuated while  growing up and the changes education has made on these issues has resulted in a huge difference.

Although more people nowadays see women not marrying or having children as a common thing, there are still many Malaysian women who feel the societal pressures of gender stereotypes and expectations.

We need to start treating everyone equally and respect women’s decisions and ideas of traditional heterosexual roles in relationships and other areas of life. The first step? Let’s start discussions on it, without judgement, to let more people know that it isn’t taboo.

Despite International Women’s Day being only a day, it doesn’t mean that we should just be focusing on making a change on this particular day. We should keep the same energy like we always do during International Women’s Day into our everyday routines.

As fellow student, Anson Ashlee Ainsley from the Bachelor of Business (Hons), so succinctly put, “Through the women that inspired us, the women that have raised us, with the values that they’ve taught us and the mindset that they’ve instilled in us, we can go so far… and we can overcome so many things.”

It’s time we start making better choices to move forward and achieve the whole purpose of International Women’s Day: to achieve gender equality for the long road.

Liew Yen Rou is now an alumni of the Bachelor of Mass Communication (Hons) at Taylor's University. She is also a member of Taylor’s Orientation Leaders and Etc. Magazine.